Featured Research

from universities, journals, and other organizations

Armchair nanoribbons made into spintronic device

Date:

January 26, 2011

Source:

American Institute of Physics

Summary:

A new advance may soon revolutionize handheld electronics, flat-panel displays, touch panels, electronic ink, and solar cells. Physicists in Iran have created a spintronic device based on "armchair" graphene nanoribbons that could one day replace more expensive indium tin oxide.

Share This

In a development that may revolutionize handheld electronics, flat-panel displays, touch panels, electronic ink, and solar cells, as well as drastically reduce their manufacturing costs, physicists in Iran have created a spintronic device based on "armchair" graphene nanoribbons. Spintronic devices are being pursued by the semiconductor and electronics industries because they promise to be smaller, more versatile, and much faster than today's electronics.

Related Articles

As described in the American Institute of Physics journal Applied Physics Letters, nanoribbons such as these could one day replace indium tin oxide -- an expensive material for which researchers have been searching for suitable substitutes.

Nanoribbons are carbon nanotubes that have been "unzipped" using a room-temperature chemical process to produce ultrathin, flat ribbons of straight-edged sheets of graphene. Finite, narrow strips of graphene are cut out from a two-dimensional sheet of graphene to create the nanoribbons. And depending on how the ribbon is cut out, it results in either an "armchair" or a zigzag edge. An armchair ribbon can be thought of as essentially an unrolled zigzag nanotube.

"We proposed an electronic spin-filter device using nonmagnetic materials. Our system, which is an all-carbon device, passes only one type of spin current," says Alireza Saffarzadeh, an associate professor in the Department of Physics at Payame Noor University. This property is due to the finite-size effect and geometry of the zigzag-edge graphene nanoribbons, Saffarzadeh explains.

"By applying a gate voltage, the type of spin current can be switched from spin-up to spin-down or vice versa," Saffarzadeh says. "For this reason, the system acts as a spin switch. And these properties are useful in spintronic applications, such as magnetic random access memory."

Saffarzadeh and colleague Roohala Farghadan, a Ph.D. student in Tarbiat Modares University's Department of Physics, found that graphene nanoribbons are good candidates for electronic and spintronic devices due to high carrier mobility, long spin-relaxation times and lengths, and spin-filtering abilities.

More From ScienceDaily

More Matter & Energy News

Featured Research

Mar. 3, 2015 — By examining the forces that the segments of mosquito legs generate against a water surface, researchers have unraveled the mechanical logic that allows the mosquitoes to walk on water, which may ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Researchers have developed a new way of rapidly screening yeasts that could help produce more sustainable biofuels. The new technique could also be a boon in the search for new ways of deriving ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Major cities in the UK are falling behind their international counterparts in terms of their use of smart technologies, according to a new study. The research has found that smart cities in the UK, ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Scientists have explored friction at the microscopic level. They discovered that the force generating friction is much stronger than previously thought. The discovery is an important step toward ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Micro-drones are already being put to use in a large number of areas: These small aircraft face extensive requirements when performing aerial observation tasks or when deployed in the field of ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Recent research contributes to the effort to determine the nature of dark matter, one of the most important mysteries in physics. As indirect evidence provided by its gravitational effects, dark ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Physicists have shown for the first time that electrons in graphene can be moved along a predefined path. This movement occurs entirely without loss and could provide a basis for numerous ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Magnetic vortex structures, so-called skyrmions, could in future store and process information very efficiently. They could also be the basis for high-frequency components. For the first time, a team ... full story

Featured Videos

Forensic Holodeck Creates 3D Crime Scenes

Reuters - Innovations Video Online (Mar. 3, 2015) — A holodeck is no longer the preserve of TV sci-fi classic Star Trek, thanks to researchers from the Institute of Forensic Medicine Zurich, who have created what they say is the first system in the world to visualise the 3D data of forensic scans. Jim Drury saw it in operation.
Video provided by Reuters

Solar Plane Passes New Test Ahead of World Tour

AFP (Mar. 2, 2015) — A solar-powered plane made a third successful test flight in the United Arab Emirates on Monday ahead of a planned round-the-world tour to promote alternative energy. Duration: 01:05
Video provided by AFP

Electric Hydrofoiling Watercraft Delivers Eco-Friendly Thrills

Reuters - Innovations Video Online (Mar. 2, 2015) — The Quadrofoil is a high-tech electric personal watercraft that its makers call a &apos;sports car for the water&apos;. When it hits 10 km/h, the Slovenian-engineered Quadrofoil is lifted above the water onto four wing-like hydrofoils where it &apos;flies&apos; above the surface with minimal water resistance. Matthew Stock reports.
Video provided by Reuters

Related Stories

Apr. 8, 2014 — A new theoretical study shows the conductivity conditions under which graphene nanoribbons can become switches in externally controlled electronic devices. One of graphene's most sought-after ... full story

Apr. 27, 2012 — The most transparent, lightweight and flexible material ever for conducting electricity has just been invented. Called GraphExeter, the material could revolutionize the creation of wearable ... full story

ScienceDaily features breaking news and videos about the latest discoveries in health, technology, the environment, and more -- from major news services and leading universities, scientific journals, and research organizations.